Balfour Beatty Vinci, a joint venture (JV) handling the construction of the High Speed Two (HS2) railway in the UK, has achieved a significant milestone by providing more than one million cubic metres of concrete on the Chattle Hill structure at North Warwickshire’s Delta Junction.
This figure represents more than half of the total 1.9 million cubic metres required for the 90km stretch of structures, indicating substantial progress in the construction of viaducts and bridges.
The three concrete suppliers, Aggregate Industries, Tarmac, and CEMEX, have been instrumental in reaching this milestone, with their batching and delivery efforts supporting over 250 jobs.
The local economy benefits from 11 batching plants in the area, five of which are located on HS2 sites, all managed by a Balfour Beatty VINCI team from HS2’s Kingsbury site.
Balfour Beatty VINCI's strategy is the use of low-carbon concrete mixes that incorporate high proportions of secondary materials such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag.
The JV company has optimised these mixes to suit various construction needs, from deep foundations to large structural elements and on-site precast factories for tunnel lining and viaduct spans.
The project incorporates sustainable practices, with fully electric trucks transporting the concrete and two of HS2’s batching plants running on semi-battery technology.
Additionally, a digital measuring system, VERIFI, is used to monitor the concrete during transportation, enhancing productivity and reducing waste and carbon footprint.
A network of 13 viaducts is being constructed over the complex terrain of North Warwickshire.
The Chattle Hill structure alone will carry four HS2 tracks and has used more than 4,100m³ of concrete to date.
The construction of HS2 is also supporting more than 31,000 jobs.
The railway will connect London to the West Midlands and beyond.
This August, Balfour Beatty VINCI announced the halfway excavation of the Bromford Tunnel's first bore by the tunnel boring machine ‘Mary Ann’, marking another milestone in the HS2 gateway to Birmingham.
Balfour Beatty VINCI JV senior construction manager Chris Jones said: “The planning, communication and logistics management needed to achieve this milestone cannot be underestimated. Working in partnership with our three concrete suppliers, the team have kept this massive operation moving, supporting delivery of HS2’s construction programme in the region.
“Carbon reduction is a big part of our materials strategy, and we’ve worked closely with our supply chain to minimise the total cementitious contents in order to cut carbon and cost.”
